Domino Effect
by Zanzetkuken
Summary: **Old Story** This work will be focused upon a divergent timeline of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's that will have a divergence point inspired by the Tag Force 4 storyline for Duel Academy Akiza, which will then continue on to show the changes thereby brought to canon as a result of the chaos brought about by the butterflies wrought by this change.
1. Prologue: A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings

"Akiza Izinski" the announcement echoed through the arena of the Duel Arena of the New Domino City Duel Academy. A few whispers echoed around as a woman with red hair, mostly chin length but with two bangs framing her face that go down to just below her shoulders, in the standard female Duel Academy outfit for her year, a burgundy coat over a white button-down shirt and a medium length black skirt, stepped onto the arena floor, activating her duel disk. As she reached her position upon one side, she idly wondered if the reputation she was gaining would cause whoever she was to face would surrender again.

"Orion Quetzalli" the announcer once more called, and someone that Akiza didn't recognize. There was a large red cap on his head that obscured most of his face and brown hair, and wearing something reminiscent of the Slifer Red male uniform, though with some noted differences. There is a pair of brown boots rather than formal shoes, blue rather than black pants, a brown undershirt that an unbuttoned jacket devoid of the Duel Academy sigil and white outlines, which had black shoulder pads. Interestingly, he wore the duel disk on his right arm rather than his left, with that arm playing host to some bracelet with a large, blue dome on the top. It seemed to be some piece of technology, but seemed to be inactive. The announcer frowned as he saw this and said, "This school is more strict than from where you transferred from, Haru. If you show up again outside of uniform, you will be docked points."

'Well, that explains why I haven't heard his name before...' Akiza thought, before she noted that it seemed like the corner of his lip outside the announcer's view slightly twitched upwards for a moment. It was a bit hard to tell at this distance. 'Though it doesn't really matter. He'll flee once he witnesses my powers. Just like all the rest.'

As both drew their cards, the announcer stated, "For this examination, Ms. Izinski shall have the first turn. Begin the duel."

"Let's Duel!" both Akiza and Orion simultaneously said, a slight grin growing on latter's face as a few thoughts came to mind of the former. 'I wonder if they gave me the first turn in the hopes he'll have a good enough draw that I won't be able to leverage my powers...' she momentarily thought after drawing her card, before analyzing what cards she had. Synchro Stream, Black Garden, Wall of Ivy, Violet Witch, Closed Plant Gate, and Seed of Deception looked back at her and a plan began to form in her mind.

"I'll start by summoning Violet Witch in attack position, then activate Seed of Deception to special summon Wall of Ivy from my hand!" she said as a blue-skinned mage wearing purple robes underneath a cape shaped like a few enormous leaves and wielding a staff of gold rose to the field (Level 4/Dark/Spellcaster/1200/1100) next to a tangle of ivy that shifted color to a mix of blues and grays to indicate its defense position status (Level 2/Earth/Plant/300/1200). "Next, I activate Black Garden!" The examiner leapt back as vines began to grow everywhere out of the ground, cracking the stage thanks to being made real under the influence of her psychic abilities, as a dome began to form, surrounding both her and her opponent. "I then set one card face-down and then I'll end my turn," she finished, setting the Synchro Stream. '_It may only be good for a bluff for now, but it could help in the future._'

Orion seemed to be strangely fascinated by the effects for a moment, before his expression grew dark after tapping one of the vines that now crisscrossed the ground and obviously feeling it have some pushback. Looking to her, he inquired, apprehension thick on his voice "...this a Shadow Duel?"

"N-no, just my powers," Akiza replied, surprise at how quickly he had noticed the real nature of her cards and a hint of fear toning her voice. '_What is he talking about...?'_

"Any effects besides physical manifestation I should worry about?" he inquired after freezing for but a moment.

"No," she confirmed, her resolve once more steeling.

"...Nothing to be concerned about, then..." he said after a few moments, to her shock. "Draw."

'He must be overconfident, probably thinking he'll take no damage so won't have to worry about it,' Akiza presumed as her opponent silently drew his card and gazed over his hand. 'It won't last.'

"Set two, summon Chaos-End Warrior," he stated, as four vines grew out from the cage they were within to wrap around a mesoamerican warrior with the cloth and feathers of their composed of the purest white, the former edged with azure (Level 3/Light/Warrior/1000/1000).

"Whenever a monster is summoned while Rose Garden is on the field, that monster's attack is cut in half, and the player that didn't summon a monster gains a Rose Token in attack position!" explained Akiza as a giant rose grew on her side of the field (Level 2/Earth/Plant/800/800). "Sadly, the effects of Black Garden prevent it from being able to attack, but it also cannot be destroyed by battle!"

Orion grinned. "Activate effect. Once per turn, Chaos-End Warrior can invert a change in attack or defense of affecting a monster on my field. At the end phase, the changed stat will be set to its original value," he said as the attack grew to 2000. After a momentary contemplation, he stated, "Chaos-End Warrior, attack Violet Witch."

The warrior was temporarily freed from the vines as he rush over to the witch in question, thrusting a spear straight into her heart and causing a momentary cry of pain to echo out from the monster before the standard destruction disintegration occurred. "I activate Violet Witch's effect!" Akiza announced as her lifepoints dropped from 4000 to 3200. "When it is sent to the grave, I get to add one plant monster with 1500 or less defense to my hand!" After briefly contemplating her deck, she said, "I choose Rose Tentacles!"

Her opponent looked over the field for a moment before nodding. "End turn," he simply stated, the end phase trigger of Chaos-End Priest lowering its attack down to 1000.

"I draw," Akiza said as she performed the action. Looking at the card, she saw that she had drawn Rose Flame. '_If only I had gotten this last turn_,' she thought, before saying aloud, "I tribute my Rose Token in order to summon Rose Tentacles!" Rather than being destroyed, the token seemed to change into the highly similar monster, growing in size and gaining eyes upon its stalk as it grew more aggressive (Level 6/Earth/Plant/2200/1200). Vines reached out from the walls and wrapped around it, reducing the new monsters attack to 1100 as a Rose Token bloomed on Orion's side of the field. "Rose Tentacles gains an additional attack for each plant monster on your side of the field, and thanks to the Rose Token you just got, that means it can attack twice," Akiza said as Orion's expression grew grim. "So first Rose Tentacles will attack your Chaos-End Warrior and then the Rose Token!"and

Orion was silent as the vines shot forth from Rose Tentacles to first crush Chaos-End Warrior and then swipe at the Rose Token, causing a total life point damage to reduce him from 4000 to 3600. "I'll set one card end my turn," Akiza finished, setting the drawn Rose Flame.

Her opponent drew a card, and suddenly gained a grin that Akiza slightly dreaded. "I summon Chaos-End Master," Orion said, as a warrior garbed in white clothes that near entirely covered his form with a pair of feathered wings edged at the base in gold appeared on his field (Level 3/Light/Warrior/Tuner/1500/1000). Vines reached in from the walls and wrapped around it as usual, reducing its attack down to 750 as a new Rose Token grew on Akiza's field. "Equip: Axe of Despair to Chaos-End Master," he continued, as an axe with a green, demonic face at the intersection between the head of the blade and the handle appeared in the named monster's hand. "Chaos-End Master, attack Rose Tentacles."

With a flap of its wings, Chaos-End Master flies forwards before swinging its axe at the base of the rose of Rose Tentacles, cutting clean through. As Akiza's life points reduced to 2550, Orion spoke again, "When Chaos-End Master destroys a monster, I can special summon a level 5 or higher monster with 1600 or less attack from my deck. Choose: Sphere of Chaos!" A massive levitating black sphere with a golden glow echoing from inside at certain points along its form began to levitate off the ground next to the returned Chaos-End Master (Level 5/Dark/Machine/1600/0). Vines surrounded it and cut its attack in half as a Rose Token rose on Akiza's field. "Activate trap card! Urgent Tuning!" Orion said, a wide grin gracing his face. "Tune Chaos-End Master to Sphere of Chaos! With wings of silver, take flight to reveal your cosmic might! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Light End Dragon!"

The pillar of light brought forth for the synchro summon seemed to bend and twist into the form of a serpent rather than simply disappearing, before the light broke away in a wave to reveal a massive dragon of pure white scales that almost seemed to radiate light, only slightly obscured by golden armor that was around its head and at the base of each of its four wings of pure silver feathers (Level 8/Light/Dragon/2600/2000). This was of course ever so slightly further marred by the appearance of vines across its form that indicated the activation of Black Garden's effect reducing it to 1300.

"Attack the newest Rose Token. Activate effect, Light Expansion! By reducing attack and defense by 500 permanently, the target of the attack is reduced by 1500 attack and defense until end of turn." Light End Dragon begins to glow, before spreading its wings wide and a blinding light echoed forth. "Now attack, Shining Sublimation!" Orion declares, as the dragon once more glows and a sun appears behind the dragon. From it, a few waves of violet spears of energy fire out and strike the Rose Token. While the Rose Token itself is not destroyed, the parts of the Black Garden around it is temporarily damaged and Akiza could have sworn that she felt a piece of it strike her.

'_Odd...holograms don't normally have that effect on what my powers create,_' she thought as her lifepoints dropped to 1750. '_Though...most don't have a monster like this and those that might have surrendered beforehand._ _It may just be something I haven't encountered._'

As the attack faded, Orion continued, "Now, activate Book of Moon. Target: Light End Dragon." The monster faded as it was replaced with its card in face-down defense position. "Shift Rose Token to defense mode. End turn."

'_Flip summons don't activate Black Garden. I'm going to have to deal with that fast,' _Akiza thought, troubled, before speaking aloud. "I draw." Looking at the card she had drawn dashed her concerns aside as she looked upon Twilight Rose Knight. "First I'll activate Rose Flame, then I'll summon Twilight Rose Knight," she declared, the child garbed in dark violet and red plate armor with a white cape appearing on her side of the field (Level 3/Dark/Warrior/Tuner/1000/1000). As the standard effects of Black Garden activated, she continued, "Thanks to Rose Flame's effect, you take 500 points of damage due to the summoning of a Rose Token!"

A vortex of flaming rose petals shot forth, slamming into Orion and trapping him inside for a few moments. Immediately before it hit, he put the hand with his duel disk behind him, shielding his cards with his body, as the other grasped his hat. How he directly responded when the vortex struck him was obscured from her view by the effects, but when they dissipated, Akiza could see he stumbled back a tad and parts of his clothing had scorch marks upon them, the sleeves of the jacket cut by the petals, though none seemed to draw blood yet. He seemed to be breathing a bit heavily to suppress the pain.

"Ms. Izinski!" the examiner began. "You are to control your abiliti-" They ceased their admonishment when Orion began to laugh, though it seemed slightly pained.

"Not bad," her opponent said after a moment. "Stings a bit."

"A-are you serious?" Akiza exclaimed in surprise. '_Is..is he really not scared?_ _No, he's just playing up how tough he is. He is new after all..._'

"I don't believe you are done yet, are you?" Orion rhetorically inquired, subtlety bracing himself.

'_He's readying himself for the second strike? Just what is he doing...?_' she thought, before saying aloud a bit cautiously. "No, I am not."

Orion held his arms out wide with a smirk, almost seeming as if he was welcoming it. "I tune Twilight Rose Knight to Wall of Ivy and one of my Rose Tokens!" Akiza said, brushing her questions aside for now. "The cold flame envelops the entire world. Black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Black Rose Dragon!" The light beam of the synchro summon was first torn apart by the vine-like tails of a massive black dragon before being finished off by twin red wings reminiscent of the flower of a rose, a massive wind storm carrying small rose petals of black radiating out from its form. The revealed monster had its scales segmenting its body, each edged by the same red as its wings, and a crest coming off the back of its head similarly reminiscent of a rose's flower (Level 7/Dark/Dragon/2400/1800).

The vines that bound the beast seemed to slightly compliment rather than contrast its form, though attention was more placed towards Orion taking the brunt of a second vortex of flaming petals. He reacted the same as his life points dropped to 2600, though this time seemed to gain a few cuts leaking blood rather than his skin being completely free of wounds.

"Mrs. Izinski!" the examiner began to attempt to chastise her again.

"What's next?" Orion interrupted, giving a slightly annoyed look at the examiner for some unknown reason.

"I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect! Black Binding Bloom! By banishing Wall of Ivy from my graveyard, I can change a defense position monster controlled by my opponent to face-up attack position and make its attack equal to zero!" Akiza replied. "And I will target your facedown Light End Dragon!" Vines reached out from the ground from below Black Rose Dragon and forced the card to change position before binding the revealed monster. "Black Rose Dragon, attack and destroy Light End Dragon! Black Rose Flare!" A purple beam of energy lanced forth from the rose dragon and struck the end dragon, a blast echoing forth that obscured Akiza's vision of her opponent for a moment. When the dust cleared, it was plain he had been staggered back a bit, though did not seem the worse for wear like after the Rose Flames. Orion righted himself as his lifepoints dropped down to 1400. "To make sure you can't turn this around easily, I activate Closed Plant Gate. As I have more than two plant type monsters on my field with the same name thanks to my Rose Tokens, you are prevented from declaring an attack on your next turn! With that, I will end my turn."

Orion nodded, before grimacing at what he drew. "Set two, change Rose tokens to defense, end turn," he stated as two more cards, one monster and one spell or trap appeared on his field.

"I draw!" Akiza said, finding herself looking upon Gigaplant. "I tribute one of my three Rose Tokens in order to summon Gigaplant!" she announced, as a monster that appeared to look akin to a mass of moss covering a hybrid of a venus flytrap and an insect appeared upon the battlefield (Level 6/Earth/Plant/Gemini/2400/1200) appeared upon the battlefield before being bound by the Black Garden. The flames once more burned Orion as the Rose Token rose, reducing his life points to 900. There were a couple more cuts, including a shallow one on the left side of his face on the cheek, but unlike the prior times, the examiner didn't speak up this time. Or if they did, the two duelists ignored it.

"I use Black Rose Dragon's effect upon your facedown monster by banishing Rose Tentacles!" she announced, as the effect that had bound Light End Dragon the turn before once more lashed out, this time revealing to latch around an Aztec priest with clothes of white edged with blue and a headdress containing feathers akin to Light End Dragon's wings (Chaos-End Priest/Level 3/Spellcaster/Tuner/1300/800). "Black Rose Dragon, attack that monster! Black Rose Flare!"

"Activate trap! Slip of Fortune!" Orion announced as Black Rose Dragon was preparing its breath attack again. "When you declare an attack targeting a monster, I can negate the attack and remove from play the targeted monster." Black Rose Dragon's attack faded from its throat as its prey disappeared from the vines it had been constricted in, the vines falling to the ground in a heap.

"That may have saved one of your monsters, but the summoning of Gigaplant does still provide me with a way to do damage," Akiza said. "Gigaplant, attack the Rose Token!" The giant of moss charged the flower at her command, slicing at it with one of the many claws upon its form, the only thing preventing the shredding of the flower being the protection effect of Black Garden. "With that, I end my turn," she declared as Orion's lifepoints dropped to 500.

"On your end phase, I activate Chaos-End Priest's effect," he declared. "If it left the battlefield by a card effect, then I can place it in a spell/trap zone faceup as a continuous spell, where it gains the effect that my monsters increase in attack by their level times 100." The priest returned to the field in the backrow, its eye closed as it was speaking a chant in a language she did not know.

'_That could prove...dangerous...'_ Akiza thought, slightly dreading which card her opponent would draw. As a grin lit up what facial features she could see, she knew that whatever it would be is not good for her.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" he declared, leaving him once more with an empty hand. "Return, Light End Dragon!" The named dragon returned in a flash of light from the giant ankh that appeared, and while it was bound once more by the Black Garden, the effect of Chaos-End Priest left it with a strong 2100 attack. "Now! Attack Black Rose Dragon! Activate Light Expansion, then strike with Shining Sublimation!" Akiza flinched back as the bright light echoing forth from the opposing dragon temporarily blinded her and her dragon, and then as the violet lances struck her dragon and detonated, destroying the card. Once more she could have sworn part of the field had struck her, though that was barely noted in the presence of the blast itself causing her to stagger back a bit.

'_There it is again,_' she thought as her life points dropped to 150. '_What is going on...?_'

"I shift the Rose Token that was summoned due to Gigaplant to defense position, and end my turn," Orion declared.

"I draw," Akiza said, gazing upon Blue Rose Dragon. "And I shall summon Blue Rose Dragon! And thanks to Black Garden summoning a Rose token to your field, Rose Flame will remove your last 500 life points!"

"Activate trap! Solemn Judgement!" her opponent declared as his life points reduced to 250. "Chained to Rose Flame! Negate and destroy!" As the vortex of fire shot out, it was met by a bearded figure with an outstretched hand that dissipated it and caused its source card to be erased.

'_That's still not enough to save you. Gigaplant can attack the Rose Token that Blue Rose Dragon summoned. But...that's not how I want it to end?_' Akiza thought, confused for a few moments before she could place it. '_Our dragons...they were the ones that did the most. I can revive her...and it doesn't feel right to not end with her attacking._' "I use the second effect of Black Garden. By destroying it and all plant monsters on my field, I can summon a monster with attack equal to or less than their combined attack values! Return, Black Rose Dragon!" As the cage fell and the monsters were freed, their strength returned to them, bringing Light End Dragon to 3100 and Blue Rose Dragon to 1400. "Next, I activate Synchro Stream, equipping it to Black Rose Dragon, allowing it to gain the attack of one other Synchro Monster on the field when it attacks! Black Rose Dragon, gain strength from Light End Dragon as you attack and destroy it!"

Orion braced himself for the coming impact as the Black Rose Dragon's breath attack lanced forth, rendering a detonation worthy of the 5500 attack it possessed thanks to Synchro Stream. Strangely, it almost seemed as if Light End Dragon charged into the strike to get it a bit more distant from his summoner. When the dust finally cleared, she could see her opponent had been thrown back quite far, nearly going off the far end of the duel platform. Fear suddenly chilled her body as the examiner began to make a call for the school's nurse, before she saw her opponent begin to stagger to his feet. He was plainly breathing heavily and needed to rest a hand on one knee to stay up, but Orion was able to look towards her and give a thumbs up. She thought she saw his lips say the word, "Good...game..." but the distance made it hard to be sure...

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

****Don't know how accurate I have Akiza's manner of speaking and thoughts. It's been awhile since I last watched the show, and this is pre-Arcadia movement on top of that.****

**Set up Light End Dragon's attack like that due to the anime card Cosmic Blast featuring on it. And I checked, Monster Reborn and Solemn Judgement were both legal in the 5ds era.**

**Chaos-End Warrior**

Level 3/Light/Warrior/1000/1000  
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can invert a change in stats affecting a monster on your side of the field (additions change to subtract, subtract changes to addition, doubling changes to halving, halving changes to doubling). If this effect is activated, on the end phase, the monster who had their stat change inverted has their attack and defense set to their original values.

Inspiration: Reverse Trap

**Chaos-End Priest**  
Level 3/Light/Spellcaster/Tuner/1300/800  
If this card is added from your deck to your hand by a monster effect: you may special summon it. At the end phase, if this card left the field by a card effect: you may place it in an open spell/trap zone face-up where it gains the following effect: monsters you control gain attack and defense equal to their level times 100. It is treated as a continuous spell card when this effect is active.

Inspiration: Rose Fairy, Burden of the Mighty

**Reference point: The Chaos-End monsters aside from these two mostly deal with reducing their attack permanently to cause effects. Chaos-End Warrior causes a reversion to their default values, allowing them to use them more.**


	2. Chapter 1: A Strange Partnership

Akiza was lost in thought as she strode through the halls. Yesterday, the "Social Experience Program" had been announced, and she needed to find someone in order to partner with for some tag duels over the next few days. The question was, who was she to partner with? 'A lot want nothing to do with me at this point or would become too scared after dueling alongside me...those that don't would merely abuse seek to abuse the powers granted by this wretched mark. It is going to be impossible to pass this,' she internally raged, focusing on her left forearm where on occasion a glowing mark would surface. 'Seeking someone outside would run into the same issues, only worse. I'd only find those who have not heard of me and have a more cowardly reaction, or those that would tear me away from this academy for...purposes.'

She paused as one particular thought came to mind. 'There was that duelist a few days ago, Orion...' she thought, a flash of rage burning through her mind for a moment as the hour long lecture in the aftermath of their duel came to the forefront of her mind. 'If he had just given up, I wouldn't have had to deal with them complaining about what I already know. And yet...' her thoughts began to cool as she thought of the person himself, 'he showed no fear of facing my powers personally. He froze, but...it was more of side effects beyond the manifestations. Even when they struck him, he tried to hide the damage to keep going...he might do...'

She began to walk towards the dorm that she had vaguely recalled someone that looked like him, and she was pretty sure was him given how he was the only one to ever wear the clothing he did, head to before. 'I'll have to ask him...if he doesn't already have a partner...' Her pace picked up a bit at the latter thought.

It took but a few minutes to enter the building he was in and make her way to his room after finding it on the directory. A few had glanced in her direction as she passed, a mixture of emotions, most easily seen being fear and confusion, having been on their faces which she largely ignored. A few seemed tempted to ask something, whether why she was in this section of the campus, as the well-known location of her dorm was fairly distant, or whether she wanted a partner, but a quick glare would turn them away. When she arrived at the door and was prepared to knock, she thought for a moment, '...what am I doing...he may be my only choice, but I am far from the only one he would have the option of partnering with...in fact, his standing against me might make him one of the most desired partners...'

Her resolve breaking, her arm slowly lowered in the oncoming sadness to rest upon the door without making a sound. What she did not expect was for the door to have been at best half-closed, with the deadlatch resting against the strike rather than in the box, and for the door to swing open slightly ajar. Jolting her hand back, she had a momentary panic, before the sound of light snoring came from the now open door. Looking back and forth down the hall to make sure no one was looking, she slowly opened the door, finding the fully-dressed sleeping occupant sprawled out on the bed haphazardly on his back, one arm dangling over the side, looking as if he just flopped onto his back last night and passed out instantly. His hat was still on.

Slightly entering the room so that no one outside could see her if they suddenly arrived in the hallway and brushing aside the confusion as to how he was sleeping with his hat on, she quietly said, "Wake up." The sleeping Orion remained lightly snoring, to be expected given Akiza herself could barely hear what she said from how quietly she had spoken. Steeling herself, she repeated the "Wake up" at her normal speaking volume. She nearly jumped in fright at how quickly Orion suddenly woke up and became seated on the side of his bed, fully awake. Calming herself, she responded to his confused look with, "You're door wasn't fully closed."

Orion nodded with a shrug, making Akiza think, '...how often does he do that if he accepts that so easily?' Returning to speaking aloud, she asked, "Do you have a partner for the Social Experience Program they are doing?" One side of his lips pursed back as he shook his head no, a hand waving. It was almost as if he didn't consider it important. Internally, Akiza near leapt with joy that there may well still be a chance, though it was tempered by his lack of care making it possible that he wasn't going to partner with anyone. Taking the risk, she asked, "Will you pair with me?"

The other duelist cocked his head to one side and stroked his chin, seeming to contemplate the idea. Worry began to grow in Akiza's mind, and she began to say, trying to come up with something to potentially bribe him with as she did, "If you..." This was however, cut off by Orion shrugging, then giving her a nod, though did seem to become slightly curious as to what she was about to say. "Um, nevermind," Akiza responded, causing the other duelist, now her partner, to give a shrug as they stood and walked over to their desk. After putting it on, he waved a hand towards the door, seeming to request her to lead the way. As they passed through the door, he simply closed, not locking, the door behind him. At her quizzical look, Orion just gave a noncaring shrug. 'I guess that explains why he wasn't surprised about his door...' Akiza thought.

It took a few minutes to get to the Academy Arena. As the duo made their way there, they seemed to get strange looks, Orion a bit more than herself. 'I suppose it makes sense,' Akiza thought. 'Everyone expects for me to be alone, after all, so someone walking with me would be odd...especially if they know he's prior dueled me...' Looking at her partner to see his response, she was relieved to find that he didn't seem to notice it, or if he did, he didn't really care.

When they arrived at the arena, there were a few people around, but it was nowhere even close to capacity. 'The program allows for challenges as well as random assignment over the week to reach the maximum,' she recalled the method of operation. 'We'll probably have to lean on the latter...' It was a simple matter at that point to speak to one of the examiners and get their names on the list, which just left them waiting. It was just a matter of waiting at this point, and the two got into a place where there was a good overview of the ongoing duels.

"Wow...so she's that awesome, huh?" a feminine voice came from nearby, Akiza's eyes glancing over and seeing a woman with short, blue hair in a formal sector security uniform. An ounce of dread began to grow within her as she noted the person she was with, a girl with green hair styled in pigtails who was in academy uniform that Akiza recognized, Naomi.

"Yeah! She's kind of scary, but she is pretty cool. And she's pretty, too!" the person in question said, thankfully having not yet noticed her.

"Let's go. Here might not be the best place," Akiza whispered to Orion before standing from the seating around the arena. He seemed to get at least the general gist of why she wanted to move, giving a nod and standing to follow her.

"Oh! Speak of the devil! Ms. Izinski!" Naomi called out, Akiza mentally cursed and clenched one of her hands. Orion gave a shrug and a sympathetic look.

Akiza sighed and turned to face the girl, giving a glare as she said, "Naomi, I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"Wha...? Why?!" Naomi responded with confusion. "The day we dueled, I thought you really cared about me! Your direct attack actually hurt me for real... I got injured and scarred from that. But I'd never hate you or look back on that day with disappointment." Her expression quickly changed to one of happiness as she finished, "Because I realized that what you did that day was out of love..."

While much of his expression was obscured by the red cap, Akiza could nearly feel the awkwardness that was rising in Orion. His head slightly turned, as if asking if she wanted him to step away for a moment to deal with this. "Okay, let's go, Orion," Akiza said, earning the slightest of nods in understanding from her partner as they began to step away.

"Wha...?! Hey! Who is that dirty looking guy with you?!" Naomi near shouted, offense easily evident in her tone.

"He's my partner," Akiza explained with but a momentary pause in her stride.

"How insulting...! Especially since I'm right here in front of you!" Naomi continued, growing steadily more angered. "Get at least 10 feet away from him, okay?"

Both Akiza and Orion stopped, the former's anger beginning to boil up as the latter had his hands raised palms up at his sides and mouth slightly open, looking the part of 'what did I even do?' 'Is she seriously presuming that she had claim on me as a partner without even trying to speak to me to hear whether I liked it or not? That I couldn't find a partner myself in that time?' Akiza thought as she glared at the green-haired student. Speaking aloud, Akiza replied, "I don't wanna be told that by you. None of your business in the first place."

"Y-you're terrible! You know... You know how highly I think about you!" Naomi responded, offense returning.

The blue haired girl looked on with a degree of uncertainty, before adopting an expression and tone of friendliness as she asked, "Hey, you are Akiza...right?"

"Who are you?" Akiza asked, her anger at Naomi melting a bit as she looked to the other girl with confusion.

"This is my partner, Ms. Mina Simington!" Naomi declared, slightly interrupting what Mina was about to say.

Orion seemed to adopt a similar expression to what was on Akiza's face, though without the anger and just the confusion. 'So you not only wanted to declare me as your partner...but you already had another as well? Seriously?'

"Naomi thinks so much of you... Doesn't that mean anything to you? Do you know how terrible it feels to be treated so coldly by someone...who you really, really like? I know... maybe too well..." Mina said, in an initially disarming and growing slightly saddened by the end, returning Akiza's attention to her.

'...You really have no clue about the situation, do you?' Akiza thought, before a plan began to form in her mind. "Hey...Naomi," she said aloud in a forcibly neutral tone.

"Yes?" Naomi asked, slight hope growing on her features.

"Let's duel...for the "Social Experience Education" program. If you win, I won't let this guy within a 10 feet...no, a 100 mile radius of me," Akiza offered, catching Orion completely off-guard and causing him to immediately turn to her with an expression betraying his complete and utter loss as to what was going on.

"Okay! In that case, I'll make sure I don't lose to you!" Naomi declared, pridefully. She began to hurry off to speak with an examiner to arrange the challenge.

"And if we win...this guy won't be able to follow you around everywhere," Mina said, mostly to herself with a nod, as she began to follow after Naomi. Orion glanced at Akiza with a still utterly perplexed look, before giving a shrug and heading in the same direction. Akiza followed after him.

It was a simple matter to arrange the duel, as a field wound up opening up just beforehand by pure chance. As the two duos made their way to opposing sides of the field, Akiza managed to overhear a bit of the conversation from the other two. "Well, at least you told her your feelings! Right, Naomi?" Mina said.

"Yeah! Of course, that's thanks to you!" Naomi said, happiness pervading her tone.

Orion glanced over at Akiza, seemingly hoping for some explanation as to what just happened, and she replied with, "...Let's duel for real. To the point where that girl will never want to get close to me ever again...!"

Something seemed to click with Orion's mind hard as if the puzzle had finally been solved, as he nearly stumbled for a moment, before nodding in understanding.

"What's wrong, Ms. Izinski?" Naomi said from the other side as she had gotten into position and seen them still walking to their side of the battlefield, some confusion evident in her tone.

"Nothing..." Akiza brushed off her comment, a slight glare focusing on the girl. "Now, let's go!"


	3. Chapter 2: That Which Grows in Me,Part 1

**Apologies for the slow speed, had a lot of classwork recently.**

**If you are wondering where the decks came from for Naomi and Mina, they're what they have in Tag Force 4. Title for this chapter is also from there, being the name of the event.**

**Also for a more exact timeframe, this is occurring early on when Akiza was 16. The Fortune Cup took place near the end of when she was. Need to specify this thanks entirely due to a sudden realization I had when wrapping up the chapter.  
**

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"Let's duel!" the other three said in response to her declaration.

"I'll take the first move," Naomi declared, drawing a card. She smiled as she looked upon the card she drew for a moment, before frowning.

'Powerful, but probably can't play it just yet...going to have to watch out in the future,' Akiza thought.

"I summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior!" Naomi exclaimed after she determined her move, the blue-haired warrior garbed in white plate armor and wielding a poleaxe (Level 4/Light/Warrior/1850/1300). Something about the monster caused Akiza to get an odd sense of deja vu that she couldn't quite place, other than it wasn't due to the prior duel she had had with Naomi. It persisted in a slightly dulled form as her attention once more turned to Naomi's actions as she announced, "Then I'll play Realm of Light!" As the ancient marble columns rose up around the quartet of duelists and the illusions surrounded them to provide the illusion of being within the center of a city, she continued with, "I then set two cards facedown. That will end my turn!"

'Tag Duels have the players share a life point pool of 8000 with the attacks directed to the person just prior to their turn...if I want to prevent her from getting close to me again, I'll need to be the one taking the turn just after her,' Akiza directed a questioning look towards Orion, hoping he understood her request. Her hopes were answered with the slightest of nods and a slight wave of the cards with the only hesitation being that which would be needed to decipher what she was asking. He seemed to gain a slightly confused look. 'Was he expecting me to naturally take the first turn' she questioned for a moment.

"I draw!" she said, brushing away the line of thought. Looking over the six cards within her hand, Seed of Deception, Evil Thorn, Phoenixian Seed, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, Doom Petal Countdown, and Ivy Shackles. "I'll activate Seed of Deception to special summon Evil Thorn, and use its effect!" she stated after a plan formed in her mind, the pink flowered plant with a fruit looking as if it was hybridized with a grenade (Level 1/Dark/Plant/100/300). "Evil Thorn's effect activates! By tributing it, I can inflict 300 points of damage, then special summon up to two Evil Thorns from my deck. Evil burst!" she announced, the plant throwing the grenade-like fruit towards Naomi, splitting apart into two as it sailed through the air. The grenade detonated, sending Naomi flying back a bit.

"Naomi!" Mina called out in concern as her partner cried out in pain from the explosion.

Naomi climbed back to her feet and got back into position, reassuring her partner with, "It's okay, I can handle it."

'We'll see how long that lasts...' Akiza thought before declaring, "I next summon Phoenixian Seed, then use its effect, sending it to the grave to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis!" A blood-red bulb with an eye gazing out from it momentarily appeared upon the field (Level 2/Fire/Plant/800/0) before planting itself into the ground, an exceptionally large version of the plant the latter monster was named after growing up from it (Level 8/Fire/Plant/2200/0). "Amaryllis, attack and destroy that Lightsworn warrior! Flame petal!" A yellow eye opened upon the flower before a waves of dozens of bolts of flame launched forth from the monsters, impacting Garoth and slicing clean through the armor. "And when Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis attacks, it is destroyed after damage and you take 800 points of effect damage! Scatter Flame! Then both of my evil thorns shall attack you directly!" Akiza declared as the bullets continued on, impacting Naomi at the same time some vines lashed out at her, causing the duelist to once more cry out in pain as she stumbled back from the blows.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked, starting to move over to the green-haired girl.

"I-I'm fine," Naomi replied, a bit shaky but still waving her partner off. "Remember what I said? This is how she shows she cares."

"It really isn't...it's my own lack of true control...or to drive people away..." Akiza whispered as Mina looked towards Naomi slightly doubtful. She didn't speak loud enough for her opponents to be able to hear her, but Orion cocked his head with a slight turn to look in her direction for a moment. She ignored his actions, and stated as she set Doom Petal Countdown, "Finally, I set one card facedown and proceed to my end phase, where Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis special summons itself in defense position from the grave thanks to its effect! End turn."

"I draw!" Mina declared after Naomi looked like she wasn't really in danger. "I'll start by activating Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown spell!" A large vortex of wind tore across the battlefield, focused upon the facedown Doom Petal Countdown before a bolt of lightning came down, striking the card and causing the hologram to shatter into hundreds of pieces that faded away soon after. "Next I use Brain Control to take control of Phoenix Cluster Amarylis and then I'll change it to attack position!" she declared, causing Akiza's eyes to momentarily widen in surprise and a bit of fear.

'If she has a way to special summon, we could be in for some trouble...' she thought.

"Next, I'll summon Gellenduo," Mina continued, a pink and a green fairy appearing upon her side of the field (Level 4/Light/Fairy/1700/0). "And then them and Phoenix Cluster Amarylis and Gellenduo will attack your evil thorns!" The flaming bullet petals launched forth from the phoenix cluster alongside two disks of light, each attack easily destroying the Evil Thorns. Akiza stumbled back and momentarily yelped in pain as the effect of Phoenix Cluster Amarylis struck her, the pain racing through her form. While it may be in control of a non-Psychic at the moment, it was still summoned by her and thereby made real. "Finally, I'll activate Messenger of Peace to keep us safe, and set one facedown!" she finished, slightly put-off by the effect she seemed to accidentally render. "End turn!"

"Draw," Orion simply stated, as Akiza began to be lost in her thoughts as she recovered from the blow by her mind controlled monster.

'At least the evil thorns reduced the damage by 200, but we would have lost if this was at the ordinary lifepoint values...' Akiza thought. Looking over to her partner, she expected some degree of anger, but instead, she saw him planning, before he took note of her gaze. Almost as if knowing what she was thinking, causing Akiza to school her face in response, he gave a shrug before getting a light grin. She did think she caught a look at part of his hidden eyes, and they seemed to have a fire in them, almost welcoming the challenge.

Returning his attention to their foes, Orion began his turn. "Activate Heavy Storm! Destroy all facedowns!" he said, grinning as the realization struck their opponents as the winds began to pick up that they had three in total and, thanks to the prior turn's Mystical Space Typhoon, he and Akiza had none. Strangely, he seemed to freeze for a moment before hurriedly bringing up the arm carrying his duel disk up to pull down his hat a big more as he turned his line of sight away. The reason for this became eminently evident as an immense vortex of wind began to tear around and across the field. Given what the school uniform was, Akiza was very glad for both that and the wind effect obscuring the whole field. Though this gladness was only achieved in the aftermath, as she mostly felt utter rage at her partner, who she was glad at least had the decency to be embarrassed.

"H-hey! Why did you do that!" Naomi shouted her own anger at Orion, as she tried to fix her hair after the windstorm, reminding Akiza to do the same.

Correcting his hat and very cautiously looking up, he responded with, "Limited control on my powers."

"Why do you use that card then!?" Mina exclaimed, as Akiza froze at his last statement.

'Does he...have the powers...as me...?' she thought as he replied to Mina's comment with, "It's a really powerful card."

"You'll still pay for that!" Naomi yelled, glaring at Orion. Akiza didn't really feel like blaming her.

Trying desperately to move on, Orion started his next move, "Activate Double Summon. Normal summon both Chaos-End Warrior and Chaos-End Archer thanks to its effect." The warrior from her prior duel with Orion (Level 3/Light/Warrior/1000/1000) appeared alongside a similarly garbed warrior armed with a bow with string composed of what seemed to be shadow (Level 3/Light/Warrior/1700/600).

"You use a deck of those!?" Naomi exclaimed suddenly.

Orion looked momentarily annoyed before gaining a grin as Akiza thought, 'What does she mean by that...' Fortunately, she didn't have to ask aloud herself, as Naomi's partner asked the same question aloud.

"Chaos-End is a competing order to the Lightsworn made from a schism within from some particular magics," Naomi explained, her glare towards Orion redoubling. "So not only have you tried to steal away Akiza, used that...card...but want to personally insult me as well!?"

'Why are you insisting it had to be him that came to me? And he was using this deck before then!' Akiza mentally shouted, looking on her in disbelief as Orion shook his head with a grimace.

"Activate Chaos-End Archer's effect. Reduce attack by 300 to gain the effect that if it destroys a monster by battle, it may attack again once in a row," he declared, to Mina's confusion and Naomi's triumphant look. Akiza momentarily mirrored the former, before she recalled the effect of Chaos-End Warrior.

"What was the point of that?" the latter declared. "Now your monster will be too weak to defeat Gellenduo!"

"Because I can chain Chaos-End Warrior's effect to it, turning the attack point decrease into an increase!" Orion announced with a hint of glee, the other team getting an expression of shock and worry as they realized that meant Chaos-End Archer would be at 2000, not 1400. "Now, Chaos-End Archer, attack and destroy Gellenduo and then direct attack. Then, Chaos-End Warrior direct attack!" As the archer drew back their bow, three arrows composed of light appeared upon it, two of which sailed forth and detonated on contact with the two fairies of Gellenduo, as the third sailed forth and struck Mina's shoulder, surprisingly staggering her back. This was swiftly followed by the warrior shoulder-checking the sector security officer, staggering her back further and showing that neither the prior Heavy Storm or the Chaos-End Archer attack were flukes.

'He...he really does have the same powers as me...' Akiza realized with shock, as the opposing team's life points dropped down below theirs again.

"Are you okay?" Naomi asked with a hint of panic.

"Y-yeah," Mina responded, wincing a bit. "Just...just didn't expect that."

Turning her gaze to Orion, Naomi gave a glare and vehemently stated, "You'll pay for that."

Orion sighed as his gaze returned to his hand and looked over his cards. "Pheonix Cluster Amaryllis returns to the field from our shared graveyard, and with that I'll end my turn," he declared, the round ending with the life point totals being 3500 for him and Akiza, and 2550 for Naomi and Mina.

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**Custom Card:**

_Chaos-End Archer_

_Level 3/Light/Warrior/1700/600_

_Once per turn, this card can lose 300 attack to gain the following effect: when it destroys a monster by battle, it can attack again once in a row._


	4. Chapter 3: That Which Grows in Me,Part 2

**Rereading the prior chapter, I figured out over the course of that that messed up the life points at the end of it. Actual values were at 3500 for Akiza and Orion and 2550 for Naomi and Mina.  
**

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"Draw! I start my turn by activating Solar Exchange!" Naomi declared. "By sending Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to the graveyard, I can draw two cards then send the top two cards of my deck to the grave." After sending the card to the grave and looking upon the two cards she just drew, the duelist gained a grin, that initially turned to a grimace and then returned to a grin as she saw the first and second cards that went to the grave. "Torrential Tribute and Wulf, Lightsworn Beast are the two sent to the grave," she declared. "Wulf, Lightsworn Beast's effect activates! When sent to the graveyard by card effect, I can special summon him to the field."

The anthropomorphic wolf displayed upon the card, garbed in similar armor to the earlier summoned Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, though wielding a long handled double-headed axe in one hand, and a trio of claws coming off of the other. Yet, it did not remain long as Naomi then announced, "I then release Wulf in order to advance summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon and I equip them with the Lightsworn Sabre." A large white dragon with a mane of golden hair running down the entirety of its back and with wings of feathers manifested upon the field, the blue horn upon its head reshaping itself to be reminiscent of the blade equip the dragon had been given. (Level 6/Light/Dragon/2000 - 3900/1600 - 2800)

'_3900 attack...four Lightsworn in the grave_' Akiza thought, a hint of dread growing from the glee on Naomi's face. '_And if I'm right..._'

"And now...the time of your judgement is at had," Naomi continued.

'_I knew it..._' Izinski thought, the building dread tempered by confusion as she took note of Orion's monsters seeming to become a bit worried as well. '_What..._'

"Spirit of law, the heretics stand upon this field," Naomi began to chant, notably a slightly different one than usual. "Come forth and render their sentence! Special summon, Judgement Dragon!" A large dragon with a head similar to that of those of Chinese myth and a body similar to those of European myth and feathers coating its form including wings descended to Naomi's field, its red avian talons that formed its feet seeming to scratch the ground, but that was merely a holographic effect that dispersed after a second. (Level 8/Light/Dragon/3000/2600)

"First! Judgement Dragon, attack and destroy Chaos-End Warrior! Judgement Storm!" Naomi declared as a storm began to manifest above the arena, channeled by the named dragon. A series of lightning strikes rained down upon the named warrior, a cry of pain being let out by it before it disintegrated in a thousand shard.

"What do you mean?" Akiza asked, dread redoubling as her and Orion's life points dropped down to 1500.

"Don't you remember? Gragonith deals piercing damage, and your Phoenix Cluster has 0 defense..." Naomi responded with a grin. "Now...let's get you away from him. Gargonith, attack Phoenix Cluster Amarylis!" Unlike the other dragon, this one possessed a more conventional attack, a breath attack charging up.

"N-no..." Akiza whispered as the full weight of what was occurring came down upon her, a hint of fear crossing her face that could not be seen from the opposing side. '_...I...I made a horrible mistake. Orion...he's the only one I've seen who isn't afraid of my powers. And I...gambled that all away. I can't back out of that promise... My powers may scare most, but honor as a duelist allows at least some to challenge me... If I break that promise, no one else would...anywhere._' Looking over at her partner and seeing a slight smile on his face, she felt her heart ache a bit. '_...Does...does he not want..._'

"Activate quick effect! Wall of Chaos!" Orion declared, interrupting her thoughts with sheer shock as the beam of energy from Gargonith launched forth. Multiple black pillars with lines of light tracing over them quickly manifested in front of their monsters, before a barrier of dancing black and white appeared between them, intercepting the attack. Most of it fragmented on the barrier, but a bit of power flew back, detonating upon Naomi and Mina's side of the field.

There was a moment of confusion on his face as he looked over to Akiza, before his eyes flashed in realization, seemingly only just recalling the promise that had been made over the outcome of the duel. He gave a slightly bashful smirk in response, almost seeming to apologize for not telling her they weren't going to lose to the attack. She tried to work up a look of annoyance for the scare, but Akiza could easily feel that it was a more than overshadowed by a small smile.

"What happened?" two voices, one confused and the other enraged, echoed from the other side of the field, causing Akiza's face to return to neutral as the two turned their attention back to their opponents, the holographic dust just then beginning to settle.

Still in a good mood, Orion replied, "Wall of Chaos's effect. When a monster is attacking, I can special summon it from my hand in defense position and it becomes the new target."

"But why did we take one thousand points of damage?" Mina asked, as Naomi glared at Orion.

"If that effect is activated, it gains defense equal to your monster's attack," Orion replied, his smile growing broader. It did falter a bit as he reluctantly said, "Until end of turn."

"That won't help you after this turn ends, then," Naomi said. "I'll enter the End Phase of my turn and activate both Gargonith and Judgement Dragon's effects to send a total of the top seven cards of my deck to the grave!" Taking the top seven cards, she continued as she revealed the cards. "They are Charge of the Light Brigade, Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, Shiny Black "C", Lightsworn Barrier, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, Necro Gardna, and Plaguespreader Zombie! Due to the addition of two more Lightsworn monsters to the grave, Gargonith's attack and defense rise by 600 points each! End turn!"

'_4500 attack..._' Akiza nervously thought. '_We need to get rid of that this turn...and then there's Judgement Dragon's ability and whatever Mina will do..._' "Draw!" Akiza said, gazing upon Fragrance Storm. '_Perfect!_'

"First, I'll activate Ivy Shackles to bind your dragons and have them treated as plant monsters!" Akiza announced. "Then, I'll use Fragrance Storm to destroy Gargonith!"

"No!" Naomi declared as her monster was destroyed by a sudden burst of the shackles around it, before facing Akiza with a look of pain on her face.

Ignoring it, Akiza continued, "Thanks to Fragrance Storm's effect, I can then draw a card." Drawing Dark Verger, she then revealed it and continued, "And if it is a plant monster, I can reveal it to draw an additional card."  
Said card proved to be Vengeful Servant, a slight grimace forming on her face.

'_If I had the Mark of the Rose card, we could win on their standby with this...as it stands, all I can do is increase our defense..._' Akiza thought, before noticing that Orion was looking over at her with a questioning gaze. After a moment's hesitation, she thought, '_he is my partner in this...perhaps he'll see something I don't._' With that thought in mind, she slightly turned her hand so it was visible by Orion but not their opponents. After a moment's gaze, a smile grew on her partner's face, before he pointed to the card that had just saved them. Arching her eyebrow, Akiza mentally questioned, '_Is there something special about that card that can help us beyond what it has...?_'

Orion barely mouthed a word in response, preventing Mina or Naomi to see what he said, though it did leave Akiza questioning what he did say. '_Was that "tuner"?_' she mentally questioned, as the hand that was pointing to the card outstretched all five fingers '_...and something about it having five...Wait, is he saying Wall of Chaos is a level 5 tuner!_?' Her realization must have been betrayed upon her face, as Orion's smile became a smirk and a nod.

"Miss Inzinski...?" the voice of Mina echoed across the field, returning both their attentions to the duel. "Is your turn finished...?"

"No," Akiza replied. "In fact, this duel will be ending this turn."

"Are you surrendering?" Naomi asked, a bit of hope in her voice that caused something to begin to stir in Akiza.

"No. I'll start the end of this duel by summoning Dark Verger," Akiza declared, the feeling from before building into anger. "Then, I will make use of _my partner_'s Wall of Chaos by tuning it to Dark Verger!" Naomi looked a bit hurt at the emphasis Akiza had put upon the ownership of the tuner monster, and the psychic felt her anger continue to rise as she began her summon chant. "The cold flame envelops the entire world. Black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Black Rose Dragon!" Pedals tore through the area as the dragon was summoned, the volatility of the summon mirroring the volatility of her emotions. While nowhere near the full quantity that could be achieved if she was truly livid, the pedals did slightly tear at the clothing of the various duelists in the area.

Mina seemed to be the most nervous of anyone, something that could be heard in her tone as she said, "At least Judgement Dragon is stronger..."

"Now, Black Rose Dragon, activate Black Binding Bloom! Reduce Judgement Dragon's attack to zero!" Akiza interrupted, surprising Mina and shocking Naomi as vines bound the Judgement Dragon.

"W-wait, Akiza," the latter said in a panic. "You're making a mistake..."

'_You thought I was going to be your partner despite never asking me...did you think no one would ask me or that I would ask no one!? And when I actually show up with someone who accepts and has the same powers as me, you tell me to stay away from them!_' Akiza thought, her rage continuing its build. '_And you had asked someone already! What did you think I would be a spare!?_'

"No, I am not," Akiza bluntly replied, to Naomi's horror. "Black Rose Dragon! Finish them off! Black Rose Flare!"

"W-wait!" her foe tries to plead, but is drowned out as the dark purple breath attack of the Black Rose Dragon tears through the Judgement Dragon, the attack manifested by Akiza's psychic powers having a great deal of a strength boost from her anger. The positioning of the Judgement Dragon meant that while both her opponents would be hit by the blast, it would be indirect damage. This still meant both Naomi and Mina were sent flying back as they cried out in pain and their life points dropped from 1550 to 0.

"Why doe it...hurt...this bad...ugh...!" Mina groaned when the blast was no longer throwing her body.

"C-call...an...nur...se..." Naomi whimpered, slightly curled up where she had ended up.

"Someone would have already contacted one," Akiza bluntly replied, her anger still roaring, though taking note of the quantity of people around the duel arena.

"M...i...ss..." Naomi tried to speak again.

"I have nothing else to say to you," Akiza interrupted before deactivating her duel disk and turning to her partner. "Let's go, Orion." Her partner turned from his neutral gaze at the Naomi and Mina to give a nod, before the two left the arena for the stands. In both areas, the other students gave them a wide berth.

'_What I just did...it's going to make him an outcast as well..._' Akiza thought guiltily as she noted that not every expression was directed to just her. "I...I'm sorry. You should leave..." she said in a quiet voice, to which Orion cocked his head in what seemed to be confusion. "If you do, they won't..."

The Chaos-End duelist put a hand up which instantly silenced her. "I've heard the rumors," he said, causing her to wince. "I directly felt the damage of your ace monster's attack." Akiza winced again at that. "I knew what the consequences might be if I became your partner for this."

'_But...why...?_' Akiza wanted to ask, though couldn't work up the courage to do so. The two sat in silence as they waited for their next duel.

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**Anime's version of Black Rose Dragon made use of the reduce to 0 in any position.**

_**Wall of Chaos**_  
_(Level 5/Dark/Rock/Tuner/0/1000)_  
_When an opponent's monster is attacking (quick effect): Before the damage step, special summon this card from your hand in defense position, this card becomes the new target of the attack. If this effect is activated, this monster's defense increases by the attacking monster's attack until end of turn._


End file.
